


you light the sky up above me

by littlewonders



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Bickering, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Lightning Pirate Ship Adventures, M/M, Stardust AU, cameos from basically everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-07-20 16:46:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16141379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlewonders/pseuds/littlewonders
Summary: When Iori chased after a fallen star, he had no idea he'd be about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.An IDOLiSH7 Stardust AU





	1. all the stars are coming out tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Work and chapter titles taken from "Rule the World" by Take That.

_You have one more week to bring me something of value or else you’ll lose your bakery._

Those words had not stopped echoing through Iori’s mind all day. It was bad enough that his brother, Mitsuki, had set off in search of “something of value” a month ago and hadn’t returned since, but now Iori had to face it alone. Either he came up with what was demanded of them, or their family’s bakery would be gone.

He sighed quietly, laid his head on his desk and glanced out the window in search of an answer. He couldn’t get another job in town, not with the amount of extra work he was already doing in Mitsuki’s absence. Their parents didn’t have any savings left after the town’s taxes were continually increased each year. There was absolutely nothing he could think of that would solve this crisis.

_Great job, Iori. Top of your class and yet you’re useless in practical situations._

Up in the sky, a shooting star caught Iori’s eye. A wish come true is just what I need right now, he thought humorlessly. He tracked the star with his eyes as it fell just outside the wall that lined his town. The wall that, legends say, separate their ordinary town from a magical kingdom.

He straightened in his chair and his eyes lit up as an idea took root in his mind. Surely… a fallen star would be valuable enough? Their landlord couldn’t deny him if Iori gave him something so rare.

There was no time to waste, he decided, and packed for what was sure to be a long trip before heading to the wall to begin his journey.

***

The guards at the wall had other ideas, however. While one guard, a regular patron at his family’s bakery, was more than happy to accept Iori’s bribe of free pudding the next time he visited, the other was much less forgiving. The second guard had Iori landed flat on his back in a matter of seconds for trying to go through the wall, leaving Iori in pain and out of luck.

“But Sou-chan,” the first guard whined, “my pudding!”

“Tamaki-kun…” The second guard turned his way with a frightening smile, “Would you like the same done to you?”

“Sou-chan is scary,” Tamaki whispered, hanging his head. “Sorry, Iorin, we can’t let you through.”

***

After his humiliating attempt to get through the wall by regular means, Iori realized he only had one option left. The option he had been hoping he wouldn’t have to use. He returned home with a heavy heart and a determined glint in his eyes. Reaching into his desk drawer, Iori pulled out the Babylon candle his parents had given him. He had been saving it to locate Mitsuki and bring him home, but he had no choice now. Iori was desperate to save their bakery, and surely Mitsuki would find his way back eventually.

He wrote a quick note for his parents to find, explaining where he had gone and how he hoped to solve their problem.

Iori gripped the candle in his hand, focused solely on the star he’d seen fall, and held a match to the wick. He felt a violent tug as his body began to move with blinding speed. He glowed faintly as his form soared through the air, past the wall, and into the forest of the kingdom that laid beyond.

Iori felt himself slow slightly, and saw he was fast approaching a crater that had to have been made by the star. He was then unceremoniously pushed out of his candlelight travel. Iori had not, however, lost his momentum after being deposited by the candle, and subsequently barreled into the person that was unfortunate enough to be standing in the center of the crater.

Iori rubbed his head as he realized he was sprawled out on top of the poor soul he’d knocked over, and scrambled to his feet to regain his composure. He quickly reached out his hand to pull the other boy to his feet, a thousand apologies on his tongue, but he froze and went silent when he truly looked at his new companion for the first time.

The boy appeared to be around his age and had bright red hair with shining eyes to match. He fidgeted with the hem of his elegant yet plain silver outfit that seemed to catch the moonlight with every movement. His brows furrowed and his lips were turned down in a frown, though it did nothing to sour his remarkably sweet demeanor.

_Cute,_ Iori thought, unbidden to the situation at hand. That being he had just inadvertently tackled this adorable person to the ground in an attempt to land.

“Are you just going to stand there, or are you actually going to help me up?” the boy asked.

Iori shook himself out of his trance and huffed, “If you’d grab my hand like a normal person you’d be standing by now.”

The boy rolled his eyes and grabbed Iori’s hand, pulling himself to his feet. “Thank you for helping me up, now if you’ll excuse me—”

Iori suddenly gasped, remembering his task. He had made it to the crater, all that was left now was to retrieve the star and return home with it safely. With his head racing, Iori resigned any dignity he might have had left and fell to his knees, digging through the soil in his search.

“Um…” he heard the boy shift behind him. “What exactly are you doing?”

Iori turned on his knees to face him, “I’m sorry to bother you more than I already have, but by chance have you seen a fallen star anywhere? This has to be where it landed and I really need it to—”

“Haha, hilarious,” the boy said with another roll of his eyes, crouching near Iori.

“No, really. We’re in a crater, this must be where it fell—”

“Yeah, this is where it fell. Well, if you want to be really specific, up there,” he said, pointing to the night sky, “is where it was, minding its own business when this weird necklace,” he tugged at a pendant around his neck, “hit it and knocked it out of the sky. And over there is where it landed,” he pointed to the deepest corner of the crater. “And right here,” he pointed to the ground beneath them, “ _this_ is where it was hit by a _magical, flying, moron._ ” He punctuated each of his last words with a poke at Iori’s chest.

Iori blinked in light of this new information. “Wait—you, you’re the— you’re the star?”

The boy—no, the _star_ shrugged, nodding with a disdainful smirk.

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea you’d be a, a person.” Iori stifled a laugh with the back of his hand before reaching into his pocket. He schooled his expression once again, “May I just say in advance that I am, truly, sorry?”

“What? What do you—” The star was cut off by Iori securing a magical chain to his wrist. He glared down at the newly adorned accessory, “Let me guess, this will only come off if you choose to free me?”

“I did say I was sorry.” Iori replied. “But if it wasn’t important I would never be doing this. I need something valuable so that my family doesn’t lose our bakery.”

“But of course, nothing says valuable like the gift of a kidnapped, injured boy,” the star huffed. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” he said, yanking on the chain to knock Iori to the ground. “I just need to figure out how to get home.”

“Well fine, I was planning on putting you back in the sky after securing our bakery,” Iori said, planning as quickly as he spoke, “but it seems you don’t want my help with that. So if you’ve got a better way of getting yourself home, be my guest.”

The star tilted his head, “And how exactly were you going to do that?”

“I find the fastest way to travel is by candlelight. I’ve got the rest of this Babylon candle, which is admittedly not much, but it should be enough to get you home. And I was going to use it to return you after the deal with my landlord is complete, but it seems you’re not interested.”

The star squinted at him as if weighing his words. “If your landlord doesn’t get to keep me then what’s to stop them from taking your bakery away?”

“He only asked I _bring_ him something of value, he never specified that he had to _keep_ it. I’m confident I can talk your way out of there once I’ve completed our deal,” Iori said, hoping he was being truthful. The landlord likely wouldn’t take kindly to the technicality, but he was a man of his word, no less, the plan should work. Iori had finally found a strategy that might succeed now, he couldn’t let it slip through his fingers. “Please, this is the last chance I have.” He poured all the sincerity he could into his words and expression.

The star was still frowning at him, trying to see if there was a trap, but he must have deemed Iori trustworthy enough because he held out his hand in a silent offer to stand up. “Fine, but as soon as your bakery is safe I get to go home, all right?”

“Of course!” Iori exclaimed in relief shaking his hand and releasing it. “Thank you so much st—” Only then did Iori realize he had never even asked for the star’s name. “Forgive me for being so impolite, but do you have a name?”

The star stared at him and cocked an eyebrow.

Iori rolled his eyes. “My name is Izumi Iori, thank you for agreeing to this favor for me.”

“I’m Riku.”

“Just Riku? Is that your first name or do you have a family name?”

“… My family, I—” he glanced down, a pained expression now clouding his gentle features.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“—Nanase. My family name is Nanase.”

Iori nodded and held out his hand for Riku to shake, who accepted the offer in kind. “Nanase-san, then.” Iori squeezed Riku’s hand and looked straight into his eyes, “Thank you again, I promise to keep you safe so long as we’re together.”

Riku blinked several times to break eye contact and pushed past Iori, the chain attached to his wrist trailing behind him. “Whatever, let’s just get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can get back,” he pouted while crossing his arms.

_Cute,_ Iori thought again. He shook himself of the unwanted distraction and followed Riku out of the crater and towards his home.

***

Far away, in a decrepit castle on a hill, a warlock named Kujou laughed to himself, looking out at the forest beyond his reach where the star had just fallen.

“My, my, another star so soon? What a lucky day.” He twirled the glass dagger in his hand and caressed it against the cheek of the star he had tied to his dais. “Perhaps some company is what you need to start shining again? Hmm?”

The star fought meekly against his restraints, exhausted from the torture he’d been undergoing for weeks. Kujou only smiled in response. “I suppose since you won’t shine for me I’ll acquire this new star and eat both of your hearts at once. Stay content until then.”

He walked away with a swish of his cape, leaving the captured star crying behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! This is my first (and probably only) fic for i7, I hope you enjoy it. Kudos and comments are always appreciated. 
> 
> I hope to update this at least once a week, so stay tuned for more. I'll also be updating the characters and tags as I go along so that I don't spoil too many things before they happen if you haven't seen the movie. That being said, please watch the movie if you're interested at all, it's one of my absolute favorites and it has an amazing soundtrack.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. if walls break down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku begin their return to the wall, but danger crosses their path soon enough.

Having set off in search of the star, Kujou came across another traveling warlock who had agreed to share his meal.

The traveling warlock began, “So, what brings you—” _SQUAWK!_

“—to the countryside—” _SQUAWK!_

“—this time of year?” _SQUAWK!_ A small orange bird attached to his wagon by a chain on its leg interrupted his words. Likely an unfortunate victim he captured who came to be his slave.

“I seek a fallen star. I’ve already captured one, but if I can possess the hearts of two stars then I shall truly have everlasting life,” Kujou recited obediently as if by an unseen force.

The warlock perked up, “A fallen star? I haven’t had a star in ages, I could do with one. Say, if I accompany you on your journey would you sha—”

“Limbus grass?!” Kujou exclaimed throwing his plate away in disgust. “You dare to steal truth from me by feeding me Limbus grass? Do you have any idea the mistake you’ve made, Yaotome Sousuke?”

Yaotome frowned, “How do you know my name? Who are you?”

“For your deception you shall be punished.” Kujou raised his hand and spoke words into a spell, “Seek the star all you wish. You shall not see it, hear it, or touch it. You will not perceive the star in any way. Think again before you decide to trick another in such a way.”

With his spell complete, Kujou left once again in search of his fallen star.

***

“Can you—geh— please, slow down?!” Riku huffed, feet and lungs exhausted from having walked all night.

Iori turned and glared at the star from ahead, “No, we agreed we would make it to the next village before we rested. We don’t have much time if I’m going to—”

“I know, but—huh—Iori, it’s midday. Please, I never—huh—stay up this late. So please—huh huh—let me sleep,” he said with harsh wheezes interrupting his words. He stumbled on his feet.

“Nanase-san, are you okay?” Iori rushed to his side, his annoyance completely forgotten.

“I’m— cuh huh,” he coughed. “I’m fine, I just need to rest. This form is weaker than I thought.”

Iori surveyed him, eyes softening in realization. “Okay, you can rest here then. I’ll go to the nearest village and bring us back some food and water.”

“Thank you,” Riku said softly, leaning his back against a tree and sliding down the trunk to find a comfortable spot to lay. Before he could, however, Iori circled the tree and brought the two ends of the chain around his wrist together, securing him to the trunk.

“I’m sorry, but I do have to make sure you don’t escape on me.” Iori replied. “Do I look like I’m in any condition to escape?” he grumbled.

“No, you look on the verge of collapse. Please rest, I didn’t think I’d have to protect you from yourself.”

Riku tilted his head, “What do you—”

“You should have told me hours ago that you needed rest, but you persisted for my sake until you almost fainted. I’m not so desperate about the bakery that I wish you harm.” Iori laid his hand on Riku’s, “Tell me when you need rest. I’ll keep you safe and put you back in the sky as I promised, but that can only happen if you don’t run yourself ragged first trying to appease me.”

Riku stared up at this strange boy who was so sure of his convictions. He hadn’t yet decided to trust Iori entirely, but this was a good starting point.

“Okay,” he said quietly. He turned on his side, shutting his eyes and laying his head on his arm to sleep. Riku felt a hand gently lace through his hair once, twice, and disappear before he could look back up. He nuzzled further into the ground, dreams quickly overcoming his consciousness.

***

Riku awoke to the sound of rustling. He sat up and realized that the chain that had been attached to his wrist was now lying in a slack heap on the soil surrounding the tree. He turned to find the source of his newfound freedom, but found only a small and fluffy pink bunny, mewing softly at him.

“Did you break the chain?” he asked the odd creature.

“ _Mew mew!_ ” it responded.

“Um, thank you, I guess.” Riku patted the bunny’s head, mind racing through all of his new options. He could stay here and wait for Iori to come back in the hope that he was being true to his word, or he could take a chance to escape and find another way back home.

Riku set his elbow against his knee and laid his forehead in his palm. Which was his greatest chance of getting home safely? Iori certainly seemed to be straightforward with him, but then Riku remembered what had happened only weeks ago and forced his eyes closed against the pain that shot through his heart.

No, he couldn’t trust the first person he met. He’d learn from his brother’s mistake. He had to escape while he could and find his own way home.

He got to his feet and started along the path ahead. Hopefully he could find a small inn to hide himself within while he planned further.

***

“Excellent,” Kujou whispered as he consulted his runes. He raised his hands and constructed an inn, a perfectly cozy structure sure to be viewed as a safe haven to a star so naive.

***

Iori cursed himself for his own stupidity. The chain was broken on the ground and there were footprints leading away from the tree.

Of course Riku would escape when given the chance. Iori hadn’t given him much reason to trust him considering the nature of their meeting and temporary companionship. Now he was back to square one with only six days remaining.

His thoughts were interrupted by a clear voice that seemed to whisper in his mind. “Iori, please, protect our brother, Iori. Riku is in grave danger. The rabbit came to help him, but now he’s heading into a trap. No star is safe in your world. The last to fall, nearly a month ago, was captured by the same warlock who seeks Riku now. He tricked the star, and cared for him in an attempt to set his heart aglow so he could cut it out and devour it for everlasting life. The same will happen to Riku now unless you protect him. Whatever you do, get to the inn before it’s too late. Run, Iori. Run.”

Without hesitation, Iori ran through the trail Riku had left behind, hoping he could get there in time and keep his promise to Riku.

***

Riku was backed against the wall in nothing but a bathrobe, a glass dagger at his throat, regretting every decision he’d made to bring himself here. Why had he doubted Iori, he’d seemed to be telling the truth about wanting to return Riku after he was done using him. Because of his doubts he’d landed himself in the very place he tried to avoid, prey to the same warlock who—

The door to the inn burst open to reveal a disheveled looking Iori who analyzed the room in a matter of seconds and flung himself onto the warlock, knocking him to the ground and scattering the blade from his grip.

As the warlock turned to regain control of his weapon, Iori rushed to Riku’s side, gripping his arms for balance. His eyes darted across Riku’s body in a quick once over to ensure he wasn’t severely hurt. Satisfied, he turned his back to Riku and spread out his arms, shielding Riku with his own body. Riku clung onto his shoulders like a lifeline.

The warlock had returned to his feet and had lit the inn on fire to force the boys back into a corner with no escape. “The non-glowing heart of a star won’t do as much for me, but still, better than no heart at all.”

Riku closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Iori’s shoulder in front of him. “I’m sorry, Iori. This is all my fault.”

The warlock was closing in on them now, the glass dagger held above his head.

“Never mind that,” Iori said. “Hold me tight and think of home.”

Riku didn’t ask any questions, he just hugged Iori from behind and held on for dear life.

The warlock pulled the dagger back to plunge forward at them just as Iori slipped the candle out of his pocket and shoved his hand into the flames surrounding them. Iori screamed in pain until he and Riku were transformed into light, shooting upwards toward the sky.

***

The candle ran out completely, pitching the two of them out in the middle of a storm cloud, high above the magical kingdom. They detangled themselves from their jumbled mess as the rain poured down, drenching them both.

“What… why?” Iori looked around in confusion “Why aren’t we home? What did you do?”

“What did I do? What did you do? Think of home?” Riku laughed without a touch of humor. “Yeah, that was a great plan. You thought of your home and I thought of mine, and now we’re halfway in between both!”

Iori blinked, taking offense to Riku’s blame. “Are you stupid, or what? Why did you think of your home?”

“You just said ‘home’, if you’d wanted me to think of your home you should’ve said!”

“We were about to die and you wanted more specific instructions?! Maybe you’d like it in writing on my best stationary then!”

“You’re being ridiculous!”

“ _Me?_ You’re the ridiculous one, how did you expect me to breathe up in space?”

“I wasn’t thinking about that, obviously!”

“You weren’t thinking at a—”

A net was suddenly cast upon them and they were tugged upwards with a violent yank. They landed on soaked hardwood flooring. Squinting through the rain, Iori could make out several figures surrounding them with weapons in hand. _No chance we can fight, then._

“Look Captain, we caught ourselves a little bonus,” came a slick voice, lilting in amusement.

Iori wiped water away from his eyes, trying to clear his vision. Two of the figures, a dark haired man with glasses and a tall blond man with an oversized hat, stepped closer towards them.

“Well, well, well…” the blond said in a foreign accent. “What have we here?”

Iori and Riku could say nothing, frozen with fear.

He tilted his head in curiosity. “Oh, nothing to say? My, my… perhaps a night in the brig will loosen your tongues.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, here's chapter 2 guys! I'm still hoping to keep this going once a week, so far so good.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Thank you for reading!


	3. you've saved my soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being captured by lightning pirates, Iori and Riku have a heart to heart talk and realize they have more in common than they think.

“I’m sorry, Iori. This is all my fault.”

“Will you stop saying that.”

“But it is, if I’d trusted you—”

“You couldn’t have known what you’d be running into, and I know I didn’t make myself seem very trustworthy. There’s blame on both sides here, Nanase-san.”

Iori looked as far over his shoulder as he could towards Riku. They were tied up back-to-back in a small junk room on a lower deck of the ship. Netting was tangled beneath their feet, a large cabinet sat askew in the corner, the entire room looked as if it were hiding secrets in its mess. The ship tilted, casting moonlight from the small window in their direction. Iori noticed a mirror to his right and managed to see Riku’s resigned face as he stared out at the night sky.

“I didn’t fall entirely on accident, you know.”

“What? But I thought you said the necklace—”

“It did bump into me, enough to send me out of orbit with how unstable I already was, but I could have righted myself if I really wanted to… I chose to let myself fall here. Because…” he trailed off quietly.

Iori could sense that this wasn’t a conversation he should push, and remained quiet to let Riku find the words he needed.

He sighed, hanging his head. “I did what I’ve done my whole life, I guess. Just following after my brother.”

“You… have a brother?” Iori asked, his voice tender.

“Hah, yeah. Well, all stars are related more or less. We all come from the same places and call each other brothers and sisters, but Tenn-nii and I were closer than that… closer than most actually. We were binary stars… I guess you could almost call us twins.”

“You and another star had a common barycenter?” Iori said, remembering a book he’d picked up about astronomy.

“Yeah,” Riku said, surprised. “Wow, you sure know your stuff. We were connected in a way, physically bound by gravitation to chase after one another.”

“That… makes sense actually.” To Iori, Riku certainly seemed like his own force of nature—instinctively pulling people into his life and pushing them away when he became uncertain. It’s only natural that he had someone consistently caught up in his gravity.

“We orbited in an ellipse. Basically we’d get really close and then really far apart, but we were always circling each other. We’d always come back around to be close again,” he said, a small smile on his lips until a thought soured his expression.

“But then something hit Tenn-nii out of the sky and he fell here. Stars can kinda… watch what goes on down here, so I kept an eye on him, hoping that he’d find a way back to the sky, but that warlock found him and tricked him. I haven’t been able to see Tenn-nii since he entered the warlock’s castle. And… I’ve been alone in the sky for three weeks now,” his voice broke off.

Iori could hear the pain evident in Riku’s voice, felt the sobs that he was holding back wrack his body with the effort.

“So when the necklace hit me and started pulling me towards Earth, I kinda just… let it. I thought it might be my chance to find Tenn-nii. Even if he was taken by that warlock, I have to believe he’s still alive. And even if this is physically the closest I’ve ever been to him… I’ve never felt farther away.”

Silence fell between them as the ship rocked back and forth gently. The quiet sounds of Riku’s stifled sniffles twisted Iori’s heart in empathy.

“Sorry, I guess that doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“I… know how you feel actually.”

“You do?”

“Mitsuki, my brother… he left last month to find something to help save our bakery but we haven’t heard from him since. He’s always so talkative, though. The second he could go on an adventure he was bursting with energy, even more so than usual. So it’s… it’s scary, almost, to think of why he hasn’t contacted us, at least. I always felt like I took care of him, even though he’s older than me but I never realized how much he took care of me in return until he was gone and I—” he broke off.

“I miss him,” he said, voicing the loneliness he’d been feeling for so long. Iori felt a light stroke of fingers against his palm where they were tied together, soothing the ache in his heart while also making it beat faster. He tried to push the feeling down.

“We make quite the pair,” Riku laughed quietly. “A couple of hopeless younger brothers chasing after their backs.”

“Yeah, how pathetic.”

“Iori, that’s not what I—”

“It’s okay, I know.” He brushed his own fingers against Riku’s, returning the calming gesture while trying to make sense of his swirling emotions.

***

The next morning the captain entered the room and began pacing in front of them, a knife in hand.

“Now,” he started, speaking louder than was strictly necessary, “this is the part where you tell me who you are, and why you’re up here. Or I’ll snap your pretty little fingers one by one.”

A chorus of rowdy agreement sounded from the other side of the door. _At least the crew’s enjoying this,_ Iori thought.

“Now I’m only going to ask you this once again,” he yelled. “Who are you, and what were you doing up here?”

“My name is Izumi Iori. This is my friend—”

“Your friend? Quite a radiant face you have, don’t you?” As the captain tilted Riku’s chin up Iori felt a violent full body shiver run through him.

“If you dare touch him again, I swear—”

“You may think you’re showing off in front of your friend, but if you talk back to me again I’ll tip you over the side and have done with you!” The captain grew louder through his words, and the crew’s groans of dissent bled through the walls. As if being thrown out of the ship wasn’t showy enough, it seemed the crew wanted to watch their torture firsthand.

“Sir,” Iori said in his most conciliatory voice.

“Better, but still interrupting,” the captain tutted. “Now, are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

“We were just passing through to—”

“You won’t be going anywhere now, my dears,” his voice echoed in the small room.

Riku whimpered quietly behind him.

“Please, we just want to go home, to my town outside the wall!”

“Oh! Did you say outside the wall?” he asked more quietly, slicing through their restraints with a knife.

“Yes, but—”

He pulled Iori up and shoved him against the cabinet. The captain leaned in close and whispered, “If you want to get home, remove your shirt and pants.”

Iori’s eyes widened, his head snapping to Riku’s sudden sharp coughing fit only feet away. Perhaps there was too much dust in the air? Though he seemed fine last night.

“Please, go along with it,” the captain continued. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Iori froze, countless doubts running through his mind, but realizing he had no other choice but to trust the strange man for the time being, he began stripping himself of his clothes.

The captain grinned and nodded his head. “Thought you could escape that easily, did you?” he yelled again. Moving to the corner of the room, he began dressing a mannequin that Iori hadn’t noticed with his clothes. “Well, think again. I’ll show you how we deal with runaways on this vessel.”

The captain lifted the mannequin over his shoulder and opened a secret passage in the wall with his foot. He gestured for Iori to go through it with his head.

Iori, now standing in only his underwear, glanced at Riku who was watching the scene unfold in confusion. He shrugged, eyebrows raised with a half smile and made his way through the secret passage, listening to the captain’s dramatic fabrication of throwing Iori-the-mannequin out the window behind him.

The passageway circled through a winding staircase, leading up to a lavish room that was no doubt the captain’s quarters. Elegant red curtains lined the windows, golden carpet shone on the floor. The room was decorated with the finest wooden tables and bookshelves, It would be incredibly sophisticated if every wall weren't filled to the brim with figurines.

A sharp yell jolted Iori out of his discoveries, turning to look at the door.

Riku’s (hopefully fake) screams echoed through the halls, getting louder every second. The door burst open revealing the captain leading Riku in by the back of his neck.

“Get in there, boy!” the captain yelled pushing Riku towards Iori and shutting the door. As soon as the door closed his entire face shifted from a harsh frown to a cheerful grin. “Okay, now that that’s over with, tell me everything. I want to know absolutely everything about your town, the land outside the wall fascinates me,” he gushed.

“But, I don’t understand, what was that for?”

“I have to keep up appearances for the crew as a fearsome leader, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. If they knew about all this, they’d lose respect for me. I do apologize for any fear I may have caused.”

The door opened again and the man with the glasses entered, closing the door once more and locking it behind him. Iori tensed, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble. The man held up his hand, “Save your excuses, I know about the captain.” He turned to face said man, “Nagi, what’s your plan for these two?”

“Well, Yamato, they were going to tell me their story, and then I wanted to give them new clothes before we drop them off where they need to go.”

“But why would you help us?” Iori interrupted. “You don’t know anything about us, we could be thieves or murderers.”

“I know innocence when I see it. You’re just in a hard situation, and my crew and I are here to help you out of it,” Nagi said with a smile. “Now. Iori, Riku, tell me everything while I fix you up. Riku, you’re welcome to my closet, choose anything you like.”

“Oh I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”

“Darling, you’re in a bathrobe.”

“Ah, haha, you do have a point.” Riku rubbed his neck as he entered Nagi’s closet.

“Won’t the crew still recognize me? Even if it was raining when they saw me, a change of clothes alone won’t convince them.”

“For you,” Nagi said, eying Iori, “sit, we’re going to fix your hair.”

“My hair? What’s wrong with—”

“Yamato, when Riku’s done take him with the rest of the crew to our deal. I need time to fix Iori up so they won’t recognize him.”

“Aye, aye captain. Riku, hurry up. It’s not wise to keep Yaotome Gaku waiting.”

***

“Ten thousand bolts of the freshest lightning around. Top quality, you’ve done your job well.”

“Only the best for you, of course.” Yamato shook Gaku’s hand twice and held it steady. “That’ll be two hundred gold, then.”

“What, I don’t get a special discount?” Gaku asked, tilting his head forward with a raised eyebrow.

Yamato flicked his eyes down Gaku’s figure and drew them up again slowly, “I’m sure you could find other forms of payment, but no. Captain’s orders, I’m afraid.”

“Why not both, then? I’m feeling generous today.”

Beside the two of them, Riku could not help feeling a bit out of place. He looked around the small shop that seemed to house an endless variety of objects, the uses of which he could only guess at.

It didn’t help that he felt outrageously overdressed in a laced up corset of sorts compared to the grubby wear of the pirates at his sides. In his rush by Yamato to get ready he’d grabbed the first outfit of Nagi’s that looked like it would fit him, leaving him with puffy sleeves, a small cape, and a vest that flared out on either side of him. He fidgeted the side flaps between his fingers, focusing on the conversation again.

“Another time, maybe,” Yamato said, a hint of remorse in his tone. He turned to the crew, “We have a schedule to keep. Get this unloaded for Yaotome-san, then we’ll take our leave.”

“Nikaido, wait.” Gaku caught his wrist before he could get very far, spinning Yamato to face him again. “Have you heard the rumors going around, about a fallen star?”

Yamato glanced at Riku from the corner of his eye. “Not at all, where’d you hear that from?”

“My father, he was trading down at the market by the wall recently. It’s all they’ve been talking about the past couple of days.”

“Well, that’s your problem. Listening to the crap your father spews—”

“What was that about me?”

They were interrupted by another man with light gray hair that had to be Gaku’s father storming inside the shop, a threatening glint in his eyes.

“Speak of the devil.” Yamato muttered. “Well,” he said, raising his voice again, “we really shouldn’t keep the captain waiting, you know how he gets when things don’t go his way,” he said, waving a hand in parting. “Until next time, Yaotome-san.” Yamato spun on his heel, sending Gaku a wink over his shoulder as he grabbed Riku by the elbow and led him away from the shop at a quick pace.

***

“ _Hello,_ crew! Welcome back!” Nagi exclaimed from atop the helm as Riku and the others made their way up the gangplank. “I received a very special visitor while you were gone. I’d like to introduce my cousin,” he said, pulling Iori up from seemingly nowhere, “Izumi Iori. He’ll be sailing with us on his way home.”

Iori squirmed in his new clothing, now under the scrutiny of the entire crew. Apparently, Nagi had decided on a classic pirate look for him. Iori now wore a tanned blouse with slack sleeves cut at the elbows, and a gaping front connected loosely by golden cords. A teal sash was tied at his waist, and a billowing, navy blue cape adorned his shoulders, lined with golden buttons and deep red interior. The captain had also made good on his promise to change Iori’s hair. His bangs now hung lower, seeming to have grown a month’s length in just the hour they were gone, framing his face in a gentle, yet sharp manner.

Even though he looked like a natural born pirate in his new clothing, Riku could see in his eyes how concerned Iori was about the ruse.

“He’s your cousin?”

Iori stiffened slightly next to the captain, playing with the hem of his fingerless gloves in an attempt to look as nonchalant as possible.

“Yes! On my mother’s side,” Nagi said, nodding with a blinding grin. Even Riku could tell how unconvincing Nagi sounded, not to mention that Iori looked nothing like the captain. _This is bad, the crew is going to figure it out and then they’ll_ —

Yamato slid in front of the crew and clapped his hands together. “All right, all right! You heard captain’s orders, let’s get this ship ready to sail so we can get Iori home.”

The crew dispersed without question and Iori let out a relieved sigh, sinking against the crates at his back. Riku smiled. _So, he_ can _lose his composure after all._

***

The next five days were the most fun Riku had had in a long time. After their talk in the brig, he and Iori were nearly inseparable. Their mornings were spent in the captain’s small library, books scattered across the table with Iori teaching Riku anything he could think of about life here on Earth and Riku describing life in the sky in return.

Yamato laid claim on Iori after lunch to teach him sword fighting, while Captain Nagi stole Riku away for piano and singing lessons. On occasion near the end of his lessons, he would see Iori lingering in the doorway, having just returned from practicing with Yamato, a small smile on his lips.

“You have a nice voice,” he’d said, hand covering his face, when Riku had asked about it.

Their nightly schedules differed greatly from day to day. Once there was a rowdy King’s game among the crew that swiftly ended when one of the pirates became so drunk he started talking in a weird accent, singing pop songs loudly while standing atop a table. A huge lightning storm hit the next night, and the crew taught Riku and Iori how to catch and harvest lightning with the rods attached to the ship. Another night, Nagi dragged them into his quarters to show them his entire collection of figurines—that was a particularly long night.

Riku was currently sitting on the main deck, a book in hand, watching the clouds pass them by. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed and at ease. One of the pirates turned a gramophone playing music lightly as Captain Nagi danced around the deck.

On his next go-round, Nagi hoisted Riku up by his wrists and began twirling him about the ship. Riku stumbled, trying desperately not to slip on his feet. “Riku,” Nagi said as he spun him outward with one arm and pushed him back into a dip. “I know what you are,” he whispered.

Riku stiffened, a thousand fears running through his mind.

Nagi pulled him up once again with a placating voice. “Please, do not worry, my friend. No one here wishes you any harm.”

Riku relaxed in his hold.

“But the same does not go for others,” he added. “Your emotions give you away. You’ve been glowing brighter every day, you know. I wonder why that is?”

“Well, I am a star, after all. And what do stars do best?”

“That is not what I meant,” he murmured with a smirk, releasing Riku on an outward spin. Riku lost his balance and began falling backward. His world tilted sideways until a steady arm wrapped around his waist and a firm hand gripped his shoulder, stopping him before he hit the deck.

“Iori,” Riku whispered, his breath hitched.

“Caught you,” Iori teased.

“Uh, yeah,” Riku stammered, eyes darting across Iori’s face. “Sorry, ha ha, there you go protecting me from myself again,” he said with a shy smile he couldn’t force away.

“Nanase-san,” Iori said, tilting his head ever so closer. “I’ll catch you whenever you fall, don’t worry.” He traced his eyes across Riku’s face, but Riku couldn’t bring himself to look away from Iori’s eyes studying him with the softest expression Riku had ever seen from him.

For a few moments they simply stood there, wrapped up in each others arms as Riku tried to make sense of the fluttering sensation in his chest. He hadn’t been running, and the spinning certainly hadn’t been that tiring, so why was he suddenly out of breath? _This body must be even weaker than I’d thought._

He coughed as Iori pulled him back into a standing position. His head was still spinning.

Iori released his grip on Riku’s waist and trailed the hand on Riku’s shoulder down to his fingers, bowing before him. “May I have this dance?”

***

Yamato and Nagi looked on at the two danced in slow circles around the deck. Iori’s mouth curving in a contented smile, Riku’s glow burning brighter the longer they spun. They laughed as they twirled around, bickering about everything and nothing, missing each other’s bashful glances, utterly unaware of the effect they had on themselves.

“They’re hopeless, aren’t they?” Yamato sighed.

Nagi tilted his head, “I wouldn’t quite say that. I think they just need a little nudge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished this chapter! It's definitely my favorite so far, I had so much fun writing Pirate Captain!Nagi and all of Iori and Riku's adventures on the ship.
> 
> Just a note on what everyone's wearing: I pictured Nagi, Yamato, and Iori in their Joker Flag outfits, and Riku's outfit is basically supposed to be his Marchen Dream look but in shades of dark blue. And we're just going to pretend that Iori didn't have long-ish bangs until Nagi worked his magic because I wanted to include the makeover scene without drastically changing up Iori's look.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Thank you for reading!


	4. if you stay by my side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori and Riku depart from the pirate ship and continue on their journey to the wall. Along the way they both realize some important things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long, but I hope you enjoy the longest chapter yet!

“Hold on tight! Captain’s at the helm!” Yamato yelled, clinging onto the railing as the ship plunged from the sky.

Iori stood behind Riku, one hand gripping the railing on either side of him. Riku felt a sharp inhale against his back as Iori braced for the oncoming impact.

 _Ah_ , Riku thought as he felt his stomach swoop from the falling ship. _So this is why Yamato-san is the one that usually steers the ship_.

They landed in the sea with a huge splash, splattering water all over the main deck—including Riku and Iori.

Riku turned in his arms and met a gleam in Iori’s eyes with his own as they burst into a fit of laughter together.

***

After they’d dried off from their spectacularly disastrous landing, Nagi and Yamato began their goodbyes with the two of them.

“Well, this is as close to the wall as we can get you. If you follow on this path you should be there in no time.” Nagi said, gesturing elegantly with his hand. “This should give you some assistance in persuasion as well,” he said, handing a small brown sack to Iori. Riku peered over his shoulder to find that the bag was filled with gold coins.

Iori sputtered, “Oh no, please, we can’t—”

“Please, my friend,” Nagi said, holding up a hand to halt his arguments. “It is nothing, and you need it more than we do.”

“I… okay.” Iori said, speechless at his gesture.

“Thank you for all your help, Captain Nagi,” Riku said, sincerely pouring all the gratitude he could manage into his words.

“Oh, please! Don’t mention it!” Nagi exclaimed.

“Seriously, don’t. Reputations, you know.” Yamato warned.

“Of course,” Iori said, a small smile curving the corner of his lips.

“Good luck out there, try not to get captured,” Yamato said, shaking Iori’s hand.

“Thank you Nikaido-san,” Iori replied as he was pulled forward by Yamato’s hand, head tilting when he leaned his mouth to Iori’s ear. Yamato whispered something Riku couldn’t make out that left Iori frowning, a blush blooming on his face.

Yamato released his hold on Iori. “Just think about it, yeah?”

Iori raised the back of his hand to his mouth and coughed, lowering his head. “Nanase-san, we should get going,” he said, quickly retreating from Yamato’s quiet laughter.

“What was that about?” Riku asked as Iori passed by without so much as a glance in his direction.

Nagi, who was doing a poor job of hiding his own smirk, answered in his place. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. Good luck on your journey home, my friend! Wherever that may be,” he said with finality.

Riku sped away to catch up with Iori who was already halfway down the gang plank, surveying the land before him. “The wall’s that way. We’d better hurry if we’re going to make it in time,” Iori said, not meeting his eyes.

“Okay,” Riku said, trying to hide the concern from his voice as he followed where Iori led.

***

They’d been walking for about two hours when they heard a wagon pass by a nearby road for the first time since leaving the ship. Iori hurriedly pushed Riku to the ground amidst two bushes, landing on top of him in the process.

“Ow, what was that for?” Riku snapped.

“We needed cover. We don’t know who’s crossing the road and I’m not going to risk you being hurt again, Nanase-san.”

They were nose-to-nose, breathing in each other’s air. Riku traced his eyes from Iori’s ruffled hair down to his lips as Iori turned his head to check for the wagon passing by. He could feel every inch of Iori’s body pressed against his in the small space and felt his glow burn brighter by the second. He needed to distract himself before Iori noticed.

“Aren’t you tempted?” RIku asked, quietly.

“Tempted?” Iori looked back at Riku, brushing their foreheads close again. “By what?”

“Everlasting life? Immortality? If it wasn’t me, if it was just some star you didn’t know…” he trailed off.

“Nanase-san,” Iori’s low voice sent a shiver down Riku’s spine. “You seriously think I could hurt anyone like that?”

Riku giggled at the idea. “Right, no, of course not.”

“Even if I could,” Iori’s brows knit in thought, his eyes searching the ground just above Riku’s head for an answer. “It seems kind of lonely. But maybe, if you had someone to share it with. Someone you loved.”

Riku’s glow dimmed gradually at Iori’s words, the longing he felt for his brother stung his heart all over again.

Oblivious to the change in Riku’s mood, Iori leaned back, surveying the road once more. “It looks like they’re gone now, we can keep moving.” He raised himself up and held out a hand that Riku took hold of to bring himself to his feet as well.

Riku felt a wave of comfort rush over him at the simple contact. He let himself indulge in the feeling for a few seconds before brushing the grass off of his clothing.

“Come on, then.” Iori said. “We haven’t got all day.”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t push me into bushes then.”

“Nanase-san, I told you—”

“At least give me some warning next time.”

They continued on the road again, bickering quietly between themselves.

***

After walking for another hour they came across a sign under a small bridge that read _50 miles to the Wall_.

“How long will that take?” Riku asked, pointing to the sign.

Iori frowned, “Probably about two days.”

“But we don’t have two days, your landlord’s deadline is tomorrow,” Riku said, stepping closer in concern.

“You’re right, well remembered.” Iori murmured.

“We’ll just have to find a quicker way there. We can’t have you lose your bakery after we’ve come this far,” Riku said, a determined glint in his eyes. “It’s not fair to you or your family.” He looked over at Iori who seemed lost in thought searching the panes of Riku’s face. “What, is there something wrong?”

Iori coughed. “You sort of, um, glitter sometimes, you know. Why is that?”

“Ha, I’ll ask you a question. What do stars do?” Riku teased.

“Hmm, attract trouble?” Iori smirked. Riku rolled his eyes, knocking into Iori’s side to push him a bit off the path. “Alright, sorry. Let me try again… Do they know exactly how to annoy a boy called Izumi Iori?” he said, cracking a small smile from Riku.

“Haha. You think you’re so—”

He was cut off by the sound of another wagon approaching the small bridge above them. They both instinctively reached out for each other, huddling close in the small space. Riku’s face flushed and he withdrew himself from Iori’s side, trying to get his glow under control yet again. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly why glowing was becoming so easy here on Earth despite everything, and he really did not want to think about that right now.

He glanced at the wagon, searching for somewhere to put his eyes away from Iori who was trying to tug him back into their hiding spot.

“Wait, Iori, I know that person,” Riku said.

“What? How?”

“He knows Yamato-san, he was at the deal I went to. I think he’s Yaotome-san’s father.”

Iori glanced at the wagon skeptically, “You’re sure? You think he’d help us?”

“Hopefully. It’s our best chance at getting you home faster at least,” Riku said.

Iori debated for a few seconds more and then seemingly decided Riku was right. He nodded his head and stepped out from under the bridge, walking up to the path in front of the wagon.

Riku followed closely behind him, restraining himself from holding onto Iori’s sleeve for comfort.

“Excuse me,” Iori called out as the wagon stopped in front of them. “I’m sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to help us?”

_SQUAWK SQUAWK SQUAWK_

A small orange bird sitting atop the wagon screeched loudly, fluttering its wings about wildly. “Oh, do shut up!” The wagon driver snapped his fingers to silence it, though it continued moving about erratically. The man looked as disgruntled as Riku remembered him being, but appraised Iori’s question regardless. “Help doesn’t come for free boy, do you have something to give in exchange?”

“I can pay you in gold, if that’s what you mean,” Iori said.

“Music to my ears.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he set his chin on tented fingers. “So, what is it you’re after?”

“Do you have a Babylon candle?” Iori asked.

“And safe passage to the wall.” Riku added, feeling a wave of appreciation for Iori trying to find him a way home first.

“Oh no, I don’t deal in Black Magic.”

“Oh.” Iori’s face fell. “Well, could you give us a lift then?”

“Of course, why didn’t you say so in the first place?” Riku rolled his eyes at the man’s words, annoyed at being ignored. “Where to?”

“The village near the wall, if it’s not any trouble.”

“Absolutely.”

“And we’ll there safely?”

“I swear you’ll arrive at the wall in the exact same condition as you’re in now. I’ll even throw in food and lodging for the ride.” He leaned forward, “So, do we have a deal?”

“Yes, thank you. That’s very kind of you…”

“Yaotome.”

“Thank you, Yaotome-san.” Iori said, nudging Riku who reluctantly mumbled his thanks as well.

“That’ll be twenty gold, then. Upfront.” He extended a hand and Iori dug the sack of coins out of his pocket, gathering twenty to hand over. As soon as Yaotome had put the coins away in his own pocket he turned back to Iori with a sickening grin. Riku felt uneasy, fear bubbling in his stomach.

“Right, then,” Yaotome said, eyes sweeping over Iori’s figure. “Now, let’s make you easier to transport.”

Iori’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Wait, wh—”

He pointed his index finger at Iori, muttering a spell of some kind. Riku gasped as Iori slowly shrank in size, his form changing as he did. Another second passed, a small black cat now sitting in the spot Iori stood moments ago.

“Iori—no, Iori!” Riku leaned over to pick him up but was forced back by an unseen barrier as Yaotome stepped close, lifting Iori into his arms.

Riku flung himself at the man over and over but kept bouncing backwards, unable to touch him or interact at all, his yells falling on deaf ears as the man seemed completely ignorant to his existence. Yaotome walked around to the back of his wagon, opened the hatch and climbed inside, Riku following close by ready to try and snatch Iori away from him if the situation worsened.

“Am I correct in thinking that you can neither see nor hear me?” Riku spat at the man who lowered Iori into a small cage. There was no answer, confirming Riku’s assumptions, “You’re a rotten, vile, horrible man you know? If I don’t get my Iori back exactly as he was I promise you I will become your personal poltergeist.” He plonked down onto the small bed attached to the wall and glared at him in full force. Even if Yaotome couldn’t see his glare it made Riku feel better.

Paying no mind to Riku’s threats, Yaotome left through the back door and locked the hatch behind him. The orange bird had followed them in from a little sliding window that faced the driver’s seat, and sat atop a small perch across from the bed. The window slammed shut as the man took his place and spurred the horses into motion.

Once they were moving and Riku decided Yaotome was actually transporting them as he said he would, he turned his full attention to Iori. “Iori, if you can understand me… look at me now,” Riku asked with hopeful conviction.

The cat simply shifted to look at to the shelf above Riku’s head and stared pointedly at the loaf of bread sitting atop it. He turned his head to Riku and blinked slowly at him.

Riku let out a deep sigh, “Right, I guess not, then.” He reached up and tore off a small piece of bread and opened the cage. “Here you go,” he said, holding out his hand.

Iori leapt onto the bed next to him and laid down against his leg as he ate his treat. Riku reached up and grabbed another small piece of bread, leaning over to offer it to the bird who pecked dutifully at it. He relaxed against the wall, mind racing.

A few minutes passed, and Riku absentmindedly started petting Iori’s head. He hoped that whatever he was currently experiencing by being in this form wasn’t painful or disorienting—it didn’t seem like it, though with the way he was purring quietly, eyes closed and curled up in a small ball at Riku’s side.

With Iori snuggled so close, Riku felt his heart squeeze and his glow brighten yet again. There was no avoiding it then, he was hopeless. _I need to get this under control_ , he thought, rubbing the heels of his palms against his eyes. _Maybe if I_ — He cut himself off from the dangerous thought that crossed through his mind, his heart quickening from the fear of telling Iori. But what did he have to lose? _It’s not like he can understand me right now, anyway_ …

“You know,” Riku said after a deep breath, “when I used to look down at your world I’d always see people who loved. Tenn-nii said I was wasting my time, because why should I be so fascinated by humans when they did such terrible things, but I always kept looking. Between all the wars, and lies, and pain, it was the only thing that made watching this world bearable. But to see the way that mankind loves—you could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything like it. The lengths they’d go to for it, what you’re doing for your family because of it—I can’t not be amazed.”

He felt the cat shift next to him and glanced down to see Iori’s front paws on his leg, standing and staring at Riku with his grey cat eyes that seemed to shine in the dim light.

“Even though you’re worried about your brother and your parents, look at how much you’ve accomplished,” Riku said, brushing a knuckle against the base of Iori’s ear.

The bird chirped quietly across the way, the silencing spell must have been lifted, but Riku continued on, not allowing himself to get distracted from what he needed to say now.

“You journeyed off alone to save your bakery. You went to find a lump of old celestial rock and you got me instead, and you’ve been nothing but kind to me this whole time. And when you asked after the candle… to find _me_ a way home _first_ even though I’ve troubled you so much this week, I just…” Riku smoothed a hand against Iori’s cheek brushing through the soft fur and whiskers. Iori leaned into the touch, blinking slowly.

“What I’m trying to say—Iori, I think I love you. My heart feels like my chest can barely contain it, like it doesn’t belong to me anymore, it—it belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I’d wish for nothing in exchange. No gifts, no goods, no demonstrations of devotion. Just your heart in exchange for mine.”

The bird made a loud surprised squawk and fluttered its wings, but Riku paid it no mind, choosing to keep his eyes trained on the cat staring up at him as if he held the secrets of the universe.

Iori meowed faintly and pushed his forehead against Riku’s palm. Riku sighed, even if he couldn’t ever actually tell Iori what he’d just said to his real face, he was glad he’d said it at all. Riku rubbed his fingers against Iori’s head as he stretched out next to Riku’s thigh again and settled down with a deep breath. Iori’s tail came to rest over Riku’s forearm as if to prevent him from moving it away. He felt more than heard a deep contented purring break out from within Iori’s throat.

Riku tipped his head back against the side of the wagon, his heart felt a little lighter than it had before. He closed his eyes and drifted off, Iori’s steady purring lulling him to sleep.

***

The wagon eventually stopped a few hours after nightfall, jolting Riku from his sleep. He peered out the small window to see they were in a sprawling trading post surrounded by mystical wonders at every turn. He petted Iori’s head, waking him from where he was curled on Riku’s lap, a paw splayed protectively against his knee. He must have shifted over at some point while Riku had slept. He gently lifted Iori up and set him back in the cage so that Yaotome was still none the wiser to his own presence when he came to retrieve Iori.

“Here we are,” Yaotome said, setting Iori down on the cobblestones. “The wall is a mile that way,” he pointed across the marketplace. “You might want to take it easy for a while though, transformation tends to rattle the brain a bit.” He leaned down to touch his finger to Iori’s forehead, muttering magic words under his breath. The small cat shifted, growing back into Iori’s true form.

“You witch—” Iori started, attempting to draw the sword from his side before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground.

Yaotome chuckled with mirth. “I told you. Save your strength, you’ll need to rest before you go anywhere.” He turned, tending to his wagon and leaving them alone.

Riku rushed to Iori’s side, rousing him back to consciousness as he surveyed the area, taking note of a sign on a small building that read _Silver Sky Inn_.

He wrapped Iori’s arm around his shoulder and hefted him to his feet. “Come on, there’s an inn over there. We can rest for the night before you present me to your landlord.”

Iori huffed out a noise of agreement and stumbled along as Riku led the two of them towards the small building.

***

The two innkeepers greeted them with kindness, even if they seemed intimidating at first sight. Riku fished the bag of gold out of Iori’s coat pocket and paid for one night’s stay. The shorter innkeeper helped Riku lead Iori to their room, chatting pleasantly as they went along. He left them at their door, bidding them a good night and sweet dreams.

After Riku had deposited an exhausted Iori on the bed he looked around the small room. An ornate lamp on the bedside table illuminated the large plush comforter that stretched across the bed. A number of small potted plants were strewn throughout the room. It was decidedly cozy and welcoming. He let out a sigh, feeling completely comfortable and safe in this space.

Riku looked back down at Iori only to see that he had stretched out in the center of the bed and was sleeping peacefully. His face looked impossibly open and gentle during sleep, unmarred with worries for his family or for Riku. He ran his fingers down Iori’s cheek, smoothing his thumb gently against his jaw. Iori shifted, leaning into the touch in his sleep, but Riku retracted his hand, afraid of being found out if Iori woke up.

He looked about the room again and found that a separator hid a small bathroom, complete with a shower head and tub. Riku drew up a bath, remembering how relaxing bathing had been when he’d taken one before being attacked by the warlock.

He washed his body before climbing in, and let the warm water melt away the tension he’d been carrying since Iori had been transformed into a cat. He closed his eyes, his mind wandering as he recalled the events of that day. Had they really just left the ship this morning? It hardly seemed possible given how much had happened… how much he had realized in that short amount of time.

He tilted his head back, losing track of time as he relaxed in the bathtub.

“Excuse me,” Iori’s voice sounded from across the partition, jolting Riku from his daze. His head peeked over the edge, eyebrows raised.

“Aaah, Iori! Close your eyes!” Riku scolded, curling his body away from his view.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m not looking,” Iori said between bits of laughter.

Riku swiveled his head to see that Iori had completely covered his eyes and turned his back to the room separator. He quickly stepped out of the tub and dried his body off with a large towel. Riku grabbed his bathrobe from the floor and pulled his arms through the sleeves, securing the tie around his waist.

He stepped out from behind the partition and found a smaller towel to run through his hair. “Right, you can open them now,” he said as he crossed to stand in front of the mirror.

“I am sorry,” Iori said with a bemused smile, moving to stand behind him.

“Yeah, sure,” Riku said rolling his eyes, although he was unable to keep his own affectionate look away. He squirmed in place, feeling Iori’s gaze on his back. He didn’t quite know how to act now that he realized all he felt for Iori, so he searched for a distraction. One hand fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve while the other continued to dry his hair. His eyes flicked around the room, coming to rest on anything that wasn’t Iori.

An awkward silence spread through the room, foreign to their usual heated banter.

After a few more tense moments, Iori took a steadying breath and called out, “Nanase-san?” Riku reluctantly met his eyes in the mirror. “Did you mean what you said before? In the wagon?”

“In the wagon…” he scrunched his face up in thought. _Iori was transformed_ before _the wagon so that would mean_ — Riku gasped in horror and embarrassment as he turned to face Iori. “But—but you were a cat! You were a cat, you wanted bread!”

Iori just shrugged, his smile growing.

“I—oh no,” Riku buried his face in his fists, turning away from Iori. “—I asked you to give me a sign,” Riku said miserably.

Riku felt gentle hands cup his right shoulder and the back of his head. Soft lips pressed against his temple as Iori hugged him close.

“And stop you from saying such lovely things? Never.” Iori pulled back and pried Riku’s hands away from his face, tilting his chin up to draw Riku’s gaze to his own. He laced their fingers together, bringing them to his lips and pressing a feather-light kiss to Riku’s knuckles.

Riku’s glow flickered, caught between embarrassment and excitement.

“Do you know what Nikaido-san said to me back at the ship?”

Riku shook his head slightly and held his breath, letting himself hope for a wild moment that maybe Iori could feel the same way.

“He told me it was only natural if I’m drawn to you because you’re a star.”

Riku’s eyes widened, his heart raced in his chest. He searched Iori’s eyes only to find them trained on his own lips before Iori dragged them up to meet his gaze. Iori curved his lips into a soft smile and squeezed his hand.

“But it doesn’t matter to me that you’re _a_ star, because you’re _my_ star.”

He closed the distance between them and Riku’s head spun from the tenderness with which Iori kissed him. Their lips moved together slowly. A hand carded through Riku’s hair, tucking a strand behind his ear as Iori’s thumb rubbed against his neck. They both tilted their heads to deepen the kiss. Riku hesitantly traced his hands up Iori’s sides, taking note of how he shivered beneath his touch. There was a light nip of teeth at Riku’s lower lip and he gasped, breaking their connection.

They pulled back slightly, resting their foreheads against one another and just breathed in the same space for a moment. Riku felt a tender smile tugging at his lips, and although his eyes were still closed he could tell Iori had the same grin on his face. Iori nuzzled at his nose and leaned in for another soft, chaste kiss that only lasted a moment before he pulled back again.

Thumbs caressed Riku’s cheek as he slowly opened his eyes to meet Iori’s in a soft gaze. Their shy smiles mirrored each other. They shared a laugh, giddy and breathless as Riku darted his eyes away.

“Do you regret saying those things now?” Iori murmured, his voice low and throaty.

“Definitely not,” Riku whispered, shaking his head as he looked up to beam at Iori. “I’d tell you again a hundred times over if you asked.”

In that moment, he swore he could see all the stars in the universe shining in Iori’s eyes.

“That’s not necessary.” Blush dusted his cheeks and Iori averted his eyes from Riku’s, now vibrant, glow. He slid his hands to Riku’s shoulders, thumbs tracing his collarbones as he paused in thought for a moment. He drew reverent circles with his fingers that drove Riku to distraction, his lashes fluttering as he drew in a sharp breath. Iori flicked his eyes upward again, desire dancing in them. “But let me tell you a few things now.”

Their lips met again, brushing together with more purpose than before, and Iori said many things without using any words at all. Riku gripped the front of Iori’s shirt as they lost themselves in each other.

***

The next morning, Riku woke slowly; his first conscious thought was of warmth. From the rays of light peeking through the curtains. From the sheets bundled around his figure on the soft bed. From the prominent glow still leftover from basking in the happiness he’d found with Iori the night before. He smiled to himself and hugged the covers to his chest, remembering all they’d done and all they still had yet to do.

Maybe it was okay if they didn’t find another Babylon candle, maybe it was okay if Riku couldn’t get back to the sky.

Maybe Riku had found himself a new home.

“Did you know that’s the first time I’ve slept all the way through the night?” Riku said, stretching as he twisted around on the bed. “I can’t believe it, I feel better than I have in—”

He cut off his thought as he opened his eyes for the first time and instead of being greeted by a sleep-mussed Iori he saw only an empty indentation on the bed.

“Iori?” Riku called, scanning the room to find that neither Iori nor his clothes or belongings were anywhere to be seen. His glow dimmed slightly and Riku dressed quickly, fingers fumbling on the intricate buttons and laces as he tried to quell the bit of anxiety growing in the pit of his stomach. _It’s fine_ , he told himself. _He probably just went to get food for us_.

Riku made his way downstairs and came across one of the innkeepers, the taller one with long gray hair. He stretched, sipping from his cup of coffee as he parsed through the papers on the table in front of him.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Riku said, catching the man’s attention, “but did you happen to see my friend come down already?”

“Yeah, he left here absurdly early. Honestly, how anyone could be awake at that hour…” he trailed off, grumbling as he took another sip of his coffee.

“He left?” Riku asked, heart pounding in his chest.

“Yes.” He yawned and rubbed his eyes, lazily. “He said to tell you he’s sorry, but he has to go on alone to save his bakery.”

Riku’s glow faded rapidly as the message sunk in, panic taking place of where comfort had been just minutes ago. _No, he wouldn’t leave me, there has to be more_. “That’s… is that all he said?”

“Every word.”

The world came to a stop. Riku numbly walked out of the inn. He felt immeasurable pain seize his chest as though it were being carved out and hollowed. His glow disappeared entirely.

Because no star can shine with a broken heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am so sorry that this took so long. Life got really busy for a couple weeks and then when I had time to write I couldn't get the words out properly.
> 
> I promise to finish this and I sincerely hope it won't take another month for me to post an update. That being said, I don't know when I might have another chapter up, sorry. Hopefully I'll be able to write a lot soon, but at the moment I'm just not sure.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, they give me so much motivation.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! <3


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